Battery.



No. 857,606. PATEN T'ED JUNE 25, 1907.

I P. A. DECKER.

v BATTERY. APPLICATION IILE'D MAR. 30, 1904. I

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UNITED sTA Es PATENT oEEIoE.

FRANK A. DECKER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE' ASSIGNMENTS, TO DECKER ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

BATTERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 30, 1904. $erial No- 200,847.

No. 857,606. Patented June 25, 1907.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. DECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Batteries, of which the following is a specification.

The leading object of my invention is to obtain a compact and light battery providing. for the moreready renewal, distribution, and retention and more active operation of the elements than has heretofore obtained.

The nature and characteristic features of the improvements will more fully appear by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings in illustration thereof, of which Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a battery embodying my invention: Fig. 2 represents a sectional side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1: Fig. 3 repre sents a sectional .view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2: Fig. 4 represents a sectional View taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2: Fig. 5 represents a top plan view of a modified form of the invention, part of the distributer or dis tributing lid being broken away to show the interior: and Fig. 6 represents a sectional side elevation of the modified construction shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the jar l is provided with the ribs 2 which support the porous diaphragms 3, of usual. material. The diaphragms are provided with the intersecting strengthening ribs 4 and the flanged borders 5 and 5 the borders being joined together to form cups or compartments 6 and 6. The borders 5" of the alternate diaphragms are reduced to permit the insertion of the ribs 7 of the conductors 7 which make contact with the electrodes 8, connecting them in multiple relation. The electrodes 8 (suitably of zinc), in the form of fragments, as balls, granules, scrap or the like, are fed, as required, through the openings 10 in the distributer or distributing lid 10 and are held in place by plates 9 (suitably of wood or metal electro-negative to the fragmental electrodes) having the slots 9 therethrough to permit free circulation of fluid and its access to the electrodes, the plates being sustained by the diaphragm ribs 4. The compartments 6 contain the plate electrodes 11 (suitably of carbon) having the ribs 11 thereon which, with the diaphragm ribs 4, space the plates between the diaphragms forming the walls of the compartments and provide for free circulation of the fluid. The plate electrodes have the projections or terminals 11 which extend through the apertures or terminal openings 10 of the distributer and are connected in multiple by the conductor 12, the distributer having the closures 10 provided with the gas vents 10 for the compartments 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or for shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the tube 13 passes through the bottom of the jar, and the branch 13" passes through the bottom of the diaphragms, the branch having an orifice 13 which discharges into the bottom of the side compartment 6, connected with the remaining compartments 6 by a tube 14 having the orifices 14 the tubes being of nonconducting materials and of such section as to afford the necessary resistance and being used for charging and discharging these compartments connected therewith. The tube 15 passes through the bottom of the jar to the compartment 16 which communicates with the compartments 6" through the orifices 6 in the bottoms thereof, by which these com partments may be charged or drained.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, as in Figs. 3 and 4, a tube 13 passes through the bottoms of the diaphragrns and communicates with the end compartment 6, which communicates with the remaining compartments 6 by a tube 14, but in this case the tube 13 is connected to a tube 13 which rises to the height of the compartments and descends to the bottom, its lower end lying in the flared tube mouth 17 opening through the bottom of the j arand around the end of the tube 13 The bottom of the compartments 6" are provided with the orifices 6 as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. In this case the compartments are charged by forcing a fluid through the tube mouth 17 into the compartment 16, whence it passes through the orifices 6 into the compartments 6, which are filled and overflow through the notches 18 into the compartments 6, washing down materials as salts or depolarizers deposited in the tops of these compartments.

In draining, the fluid (lis- 10 covering the compartments 6 while the other half has the slotted opening 10 communicating with the com artments 6 and the closures 10 covering t e compartments 6, the closures being provided with the vent 10. Each set of compartments is thereby adapted to be charged through the cover, with the material for renewing the electrodes orlwith a depolarizer in the form of a soluble sa t.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a battery, a compartment having imperforate walls of porous material, a fragmental electrode in said compartment, and means in said compartment for permitting the free circulation of fluid and contact thereof with said electrode, substantially as specified.

2. In a battery, a compartment having imperforate walls of porous material, a perforated plate dividing said compartment, and an active fragmental element retained in said compartment by said plate. substan' tially as specified.

3. In a battery, a compartment comprising a pair of diaphragms, one of said diaphragms having ribs in said compartment, a perforated plate in said compartment supported by said ribs, and an active fragmental element between said plate and the other of said diaphragms, substantially as specified.

4. In a battery, a plurality of compartments comprising flange bordered diaphragms joined together, a fragmental electrode in one of said compartments, and a plate electrode having a projection thereon for engaging a conductor in the other of said compartments, substantially as specified.

5. In a battery, a plurality of compartments comprising flange bordered diaphragms joined together, a perforated member dividing one of said compartments, a fragmental electrode retained by said perforated member, and a ribbed plate electrode in the other of said compartments, substantially as specified.

6. In a battery, a compartment comprising diaphragms having intersecting ribs and flanged borders an active fragmental element in said compartment, and means for retaining said fragmental element and providing for the circulation of fluid in said compartment, substantially as specified.

7. In a battery, a cell, a plurality of compartments therein, electrodes in said compartments, and a conductor in said cell mak ing electrical contact with said electrodes through the vertical end walls of said compartments, substantially as specified.

8. In a battery, a plurality of compart ments comprising flange bordered diaphragm joined together, each of said diaphragms having its parts composed of homogeneous material, and a conductor having contacts penetrating the borders of the alternate compartments, substantially as specified.

9. In a battery, a plurality of compartments comprising flange bordered diaphragms joined together, a conductor having contacts extending through the borders of the alternate compartments, electrodes insaid compartments connected with said contacts,

electrodes in the remainder of said compart ments, and a conductor connecting said last named electrodes, substantially as specified.

10. In a battery, a distributer comprising elongated openings of greater length than width adapted for disseminating a fragmental electrode, in combination with compartments registering with said openings, said distributer having means for distributing such fragmental electrode in each of said compartments substantially as specified.

11. In a battery, a distributer having feeding and terminal openings, compartments fed through said feeding openings, and electrodes having terminals in said terminal openin s, substantially as specified.

12. In a battery, a plurality of compartments, and a distributing lid for said compartments, said lid having openings therethrough for feeding alternate compartments, and closures extending over intermediate compartments, substantially as specified.

13. In a battery, a plurality of compartments, and a distributing lidfor said compartments, said lid having openings therethrough for feeding and closures extending over compartments registering therewith, substantially as specified. i

14. In a battery, a plurality of compartments comprising flange bordered diaphragms joined together, a tube passing through the borders of said compartments and having orifices communicating with alternate compartments, and orifices through the bottoms of compartments separated from said tube orifices, substantially as specified.

15. In a battery, a plurality of compartments comprising flange bordered diaphragms joined together, and a tube extending through the lower borders of said diaphragms and communicating with one of said compartments, said tube rising approximately to the top of said compartments and descending to the bottom thereof, and an orifice for passing a fluid, said orifice containing the end of said tube, substantially as specified.

16. In a battery, a cell, a plurality of compartments therein, and electrodes in said compartments electrically connected Within said cell in multiple relation through the side walls of said compartments, substantially as specified.

17. In a battery, a receptacle having an aperture in the bottom thereof, a plurality of compartments having openings in the bottoms thereof, said compartments being removably supported in said receptacle and above the bottom thereof, and means per- FRANK A. DECKER.

Witnesses:

THOMAS S. GATEs, UTLEY E. CRANE, Jr. 

